Seven Best Vegas Sport Events Of All Time

Seven Best Vegas Sport Events Of All Time

Las Vegas will officially become an NFL city when they host their very first Super Bowl in 2024. Originally set in New Orleans, Super Bowl LVIII had to be switched to a different location as the expanded NFL season meant the Super Bowl would fall on Mardi Gras weekend in 2024. There will be no such problem in Las Vegas; the game will take place at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, February 11, 2024 and the Super Bowl betting will be as hot as ever. The stadium finished construction in mid-2020 and has already hosted an NFL All-Star game. We’ll go over the top seven best Vegas sport events that have taken place at Allegiant Stadium and other sporting venues in Sin City—and we’re including one future event.

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WBC Heavyweight Championship: Gerry Cooney vs. Larry Holmes in 1982

It’s no secret that Las Vegas has the biggest fights on the continent and in 1982, Caesar’s Palace was the host venue for the highly-anticipated WBC Heavyweight Championship fight between Gerry Cooney and Larry Holmes. Holmes (39-0 pre-fight) earned the WBC Heavyweight Championship belt in 1978 when he got a split decision win over Ken Norton—a title that he defended 11 times before facing off against Cooney.

Cooney (25-0 pre-fight), meanwhile, earned the opportunity to challenge the champion when he beat Ken Norton. Both boxers were evenly matched throughout the first eight rounds, but then Cooney started slowing down and taking punishment from his opponent until his trainer threw in the towel in Round 13. The event broke the record for the highest attendance of any boxing match in Nevada, and rightly features on our list of the best Vegas sport events of all time.

NASCAR Cup Series in 1998

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the inaugural Las Vegas 400 NASCAR Cup Series in 1998, and it has continued to be a staple on the NASCAR calendar every year since. That 1998 race saw the Ford Taurus get its first win in just its third race with Mark Martin behind the wheel. Las Vegas would eventually adopt a second race in 2018 (South Point 400) that was moved over from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

NBA All Star Game in 2007

The 56th edition of the NBA All Star Game took place at the University of Nevada’s Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise in 2007. Many people believed that the city’s bid to host the NBA’s All Star Game was an attempt to bring the city its first major sports league—something it lacked at the time—and sure enough the city’s mayor did meet with NBA’s commissioner to discuss the matter. However, nothing materialized in the aftermath of the game.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neil were both supportive of the league expanding into Las Vegas, and Lebron James has openly stated that wants to own an NBA expansion team based in Las Vegas.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals in 2018

The NHL was the first major league in North America to place a franchise in Las Vegas. They expanded their league to 31 teams when they added the Vegas Golden Knights in time for the 2017-18 season. The Golden Knights surprised everyone that year with a rock solid 51-24-7 record that was good enough for first in the Pacific Division. Their fairy-tale run continued through the postseason, as they made it all the way to the Finals. No other expansion team has experienced such immediate success.

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The Golden Knights hosted Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals at T-Mobile Arena, and although they lost both games, they brought the NHL to Vegas, paving the way for the next event on our list.

NHL All Star Game in 2022

The 2022 NHL All Star festivities brought the very best hockey players to Vegas to take part in an exhibition game and skills competitions in front of a Vegas audience. Of the traditional skills tests, Vegas’ new defenseman Alex Pietrangelo won the Breakaway Challenge in honour of the goal he scored in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 when he was playing for the St. Louis Blues.

Two Vegas-themed competitions took place including the Fountain Face-off, which consisted of players standing on ice circles over the Bellagio Fountains and trying to land pucks on floating targets. The second competition took players to the Vegas Strip, where they took shots at distant playing cards as they tried to build a winning Blackjack hand. It was clear that the NHL was embracing the new Vegas market.

NFL Pro Bowl in 2022

The NFL joined the NHL in expanding into Vegas when they voted in favour of relocating the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas. They had to build a new stadium to accommodate it, and after nearly three years of construction, the incredible Allegiant Stadium was ready in time for the 2020 NFL season.

The 2021 NFL Pro Bowl game was supposed to take place at Allegiant Stadium, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the league to skip the in-person competition and have Vegas host the following one in 2022. That year, the AFC was coached by Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and the NFC was coached by Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur. The AFC team ended up winning 41-35.

NFL Super Bowl LVIII in 2024

With the NFL Pro Bowl going off without a hitch in 2022, the NFL turned to Las Vegas when they needed a quick alternative host for Super Bowl LVIII. New Orleans had to bow out of hosting duties when the season expansion forced Super Bowl to fall on the same weekend the city celebrates Mardi Gras.

Now the Vegas Raiders will have extra motivation to go all the way in the upcoming 2023-24 season, as it’s every NFL team’s dream to win the Super Bowl in front of their home crowd. The date is set for Sunday, February 11, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium. With a 65,000-seat capacity, tickets will sell out quickly for this one.

Any of the best Vegas sport events in the future will be covered by the Bodog Sportsbook team, so don’t forget to #MakeAPlay!

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